We are looking for OSCIA members who are interested in planting on-farm strip trials of neonicotinoid and fungicide only corn seed this year. Key objectives include: 1) gaining a better understanding of where the important soil insects are in Ontario corn fields so that we can develop high risk maps and 2) measure the economic impact of neonicotinoid seed treatments…

Research Team: Tracey Baute, OMAF and MRA, Dr. Art Schaafsma, UGRC, Dr. Cynthia Scott-Dupree, UG SES, Dr. Yingen Xue, UGRC, Dr. Victor Limay-Rios, UGRC and Jocelyn Smith, UGRC A summary of the results from our 2013 field study can be found here: Neonicotinoid Contaminated Dust and Pollinator Exposure during Planting; Results from 2013. Though this is based on only one…

OMAF and MRA and the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) have worked together to develop new Best Management Practices (BMPs) for Pollinator Protection and Responsible Use of Insecticide Treated Seed for the 2014 season. The new BMPs can be found here: 2014 BMPs for Pollinator Protection and will also available on both of the pollinator protection webpages of PMRA and…

Tracey Baute, Field Crop Entomologist and Paul Kozak, Provincial Apiarist, OMAF and MRA The issue of what is impacting honey bee health in Ontario is complex and multifaceted. There are still many unknowns and research is underway to try and address some of those factors. While there are many theories being promoted in the public forum about what may be…

Author: Jocelyn Smith, Research Associate, Field Crop Pest Management University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus It appears that in 2013, southwestern Ontario’s hotspot areas for Western bean cutworm (WBC) (large area around Bothwell and Tilsonburg) have a significant problem in their corn fields. OMAF and MRA and University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus staff have completed surveys of fields in these risk…

The weather has been ideal for soybean aphids and has been dry enough in areas to also see mites starting up. Some fields are starting to see one or both of these pests increasing in numbers. Here is just a reminder of important things to consider when assessing fields: Soybean Aphids – The threshold of “250 aphids per plant and…

Learn about the natural enemies of crop pests, from predators to parasites to pathogens. What do they do? How can you find and identify them? How can you protect them and encourage them to be active in your field? Wednesday, August 7 1:00-4:30 pm Simcoe OMAF and MRA Auditorium, Blueline Road, Simcoe, Ontario The workshop will apply to all field-grown…

Soybean aphids – Eastern Ontario and the thumb of Michigan have been battling soybean aphids for some time now. This is ideal weather for them so I expect to start to see fields in SW ON noticing populations climb. That said, I have not given up on the natural enemies. I just want everyone to be on watch and take…

Researchers at the University of Guelph are looking for fields with high numbers of corn rootworm beetles. Beetles will be used for resistance monitoring for Bt traits in corn. If you have unexpected rootworm damage, or a large population of adult beetles please contact: Jocelyn Smith: 519-674-1500 x63551, jocelyn.smith@uoguelph.ca Tracey Baute: 519-674-1696, tracey.baute@ontario.ca Andrea Hitchon: 519-674-1500 x63128, ahitchon@uoguelph.ca

My crew is finding many corn fields at threshold levels of western bean cutworm (WBC) in the “high risk areas” of Bothwell and Tillsonburg. We have learned over the last few years that Bothwell and areas around Tillsonburg in particular (higher sandy soil areas) are prone to high levels of WBC infestations. Other areas of Southern Ontario might also reach…

Reports of fields in Eastern/Central Ontario with threshold levels of soybean aphids have been coming in this week. Chris DiFonzo, MSU has also alerted us to very high numbers showing up in Michigan, especially in the thumb which could migrate here into Ontario via any future storm fronts. It is very important to be out scouting weekly from now until…

Our trap network has been up and running for nearly a month and surprisingly, trap counts have been very low so far. The lowest we have ever seen them for this time of year. We typically see moth catches peak the mid to second last week of July which means peak egg laying is usually shortly after that too but…

The Ontario Canola Growers, OMAF and MRA and the University of Guelph are working together to monitor swede midge this season. As swede midge is difficult to detect until the damage has been done, monitoring stations have been set up in Ontario’s major canola growing areas. You will find the 2013 trap count maps indicating adult swede midge populations at…

I have been hearing reports of soybean aphids starting to pop up on non-Cruiser soybeans in Ontario. It has been a few years since we’ve had to deal with them so I thought a refresher might be in order. Soybean aphids initially start to colonize in pockets of early planted fields. Several plants in these pockets can have hundreds, even…

I admit that scouting soys when just the cotyledons are out makes for tough pest injury diagnostics. It does take some years of experience to really get to know what you are looking at. Three pests that commonly feed on the cotyledons include seed corn maggot, bean leaf beetle and slugs. Occasionally, the feeding damage on the cotyledons is easy…

“Field Crop News” is an archive of information dedicated to the production of over 8.5 million acres of field crops in Ontario and a forum for which producers, researchers and industry personnel can share information and ideas. The crop technology team with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), faculty at the University of Guelph and Ontario field crop producers continually work together to find ways to improve field crop production. The key learning and outcomes from these collaborations are captured at “Field Crop News”.